Fury: Why I became an outlaw
I’m the man for job roars Lions boss SEAHAWKS BETTER THAN PERFECT
TYSON FURY claims he felt driven to “play the outlaw” in his career because of racist abuse.
Fury experienced discrimination growing up in the travelling community and says it made him feel like an outsider in boxing.
The former world heavyweight champion, 31, claims in his new autobiography ‘Behind the Mask’ that he was playing a character before he lost sight of who he really was.
He says this contributed to his descent into depression after beating Wladimir Klitschko to claim the WBA Super, IBF and WBO crowns four years ago and he thought about suicide as he binged on drink and drugs.
“I started playing this part, being arrogant and cocky,” writes the unbeaten Fury in his autobiography. “I eventually lost myself in this character.
“I went into the paid ranks off the back of an amateur career during which I was aware of racism against travellers.
“This made me an outsider, so I felt that for me to get the attention I needed to be an attraction in the sport, I had to play the outlaw.
“I felt I had to act out a role to seek publicity and to do that I had to be controversial.
“But it got to the point where I didn’t know what was real and what was the act.”
WAYNE BENNETT has turned on the critics who claim he has ruined the Great Britain badge and should be sacked.
The 69-year-old Lions coach has caused uproar with some of his selections on the current losing tour Down Under.
But he has hit back, saying: “They don’t build monuments to critics. Criticism is like water off a duck’s back – I don’t listen to it.
“I am at the coalface and I know what is going on. I know what we have got to fix up and believe we can do that.
“I have never disrespected anyone in my life, it is not in my nature. There is no disrespect from me towards Great Britain.”
The Lions have lost all three tour games, to Tonga and twice to New Zealand, and need to beat Papua New Guinea on Saturday to avoid a total disaster.
But his team selection will once more send his critics into overdrive, with half-back Blake Austin again on the wing and emergency callup Ash Handley not playing.
Bennett, however, says the doubters can moan all they want but nothing will stop him from planning towards England’s World Cup campaign in two years.
The Aussie (inset) said: “We are working on a plan to get our game right because next year against Australia is vital and then hopefully we can be a real contender at the World Cup.
“Nothing has changed for me. The next two years, with Australia in England and then the World Cup on home soil, is everything to us.”
And that’s partly why he’s likely to start Gareth Widdop and Jackson Hastings in the halves for the fourth game running, even though they have failed to inspire so far.
Bennett said: “One of the things we have to get our heads around is we have to stabilise our halves and we cannot just keep swapping and changing.
“We are not getting it right at the moment, the decision making or the pressure that comes in games.
“I have got to give Jackson time. If I react and take him out we are not going to get him to the place we need him to
THE Seattle Seahawks have announced themselves as potential Super Bowl winners and ended the San Francisco 49ers’ perfect start to the season in the process.
The NFL’s only 100 per cent winning record went out of the window in a dramatic 27-24 over-time win by Seattle on Tuesday, sealed by Jason Myers’ field goal.
The result tied Seattle and the 49ers at the top of the NFC West and go or for us to realise he cannot get there. That’s the dilemma we are in and the same with Gareth Widdop. That is what is going on right now.”
Half-back George Williams will make his tour bow off the bench but Jake Trueman will not be given a debut. after a tough start Pete Carroll’s team have to be taken seriously.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson (left) said: “The great thing about this game for our team was just the resilience.
“We’ve had it all year. We’ve been the toughest team, just in terms of resilience, all year. Just
Bennett said: “I don’t like going back on my word when I said everyone would play but I cannot give Jake an opportunity because we need to fix things up with the right players in.
“It is not the time to be trialling anyone. We need to get a victory and I need to have the best players on the field.”
Leeds winger Handley was expected to play but Bennett insists he was only how we stay encouraged, how we stay focused, how we keep having faith and believe something great is going to happen.”
Seattle have a bye weekend coming up and the Niners play their game in hand against the struggling Arizona Cardinals, which should see them return to the top of the division.
Meanwhile, defending champions the New England Patriots travel to the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, with star quarterback Tom Brady challenging his team to “ramp it up”.
Brady said: “I said last week, to be 8-1 and have the opportunity in the second half of the year that we do, I think anyone would take that.
“It hasn’t all been perfect, but it’s been good enough in some areas. We’re really going to have to really ramp it up and play our best as we go forward.” (inset) ever intended as cover. Instead, Austin, who had a horrific start against the Kiwis last week before recovering well, will again play on the wing.
The Kumuls lost narrowly to Fiji last Saturday and are expected to give the Lions a battle. But Bennett is confident, saying: “We are not a basket case. If we had taken our opportunities, we would have scored more tries.”